It was clearly a camera lens. Matthew suspected he had attracted the attention of journalists or paparazzi, who might follow him all the way to Malibu. Suddenly, the door of the yellow Chevrolet opened, and a person wearing a baseball cap stepped out and started walking towards him.
It was clearly a woman, and a tall one at that—Matthew estimated she was at least 1.85 meters tall.
Matthew rolled down his window to get a better look. Under the brim of the cap, he could make out a face with typically Western features: deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, sunken cheeks, and a broad forehead.
The blonde woman had noticed Matthew observing her but made no attempt to avoid his gaze, walking straight towards him.
"Where's Bill Mattson?" she asked when she reached his driver's side.
Matthew knew she was referring to the previous driver. "He quit," he replied.
"Quit?"
The blonde woman cursed out loud, "That despicable bastard!"
Matthew watched her, puzzled by her connection with Bill Mattson.
"He dared to take my money and disappear!" The blonde woman was furious. She raised her sneakered foot and viciously kicked the Ford's tire. Matthew quickly intervened, "Hey, what are you doing! This is private property!"
The woman raised her foot again for another kick, but Matthew opened the driver's door and jumped out.
"Stop!" He stared her down.
He couldn't afford any damage to the car—it would come out of his pay.
The blonde woman lowered her foot, sizing up Matthew. "Are you the driver of this car?"
Matthew was on guard and shot back, "Who are you? Why are you following me? You've been tailing me from Hollywood Boulevard all the way here!"
"We…" The woman looked around cautiously, "Can we talk inside the car?"
"Let's just talk here," Matthew wasn't about to let a stranger into his vehicle.
The woman lowered her voice, "Are you heading to Malibu?"
Matthew became even more wary, "Are you a reporter or paparazzi?"
"Reporter." The woman didn't bother to hide it, "Entertainment journalist."
She rushed to add, "If Bill Mattson gave me correct information, you are servicing Johnny Lee Miller's party tonight, attended by Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, and Aiden Bryner, along with a host of other British actors, right?"
Matthew had taken over this job last minute. The details Mr. Lister provided only mentioned a large party at Johnny Lee Miller's place and did not list who was invited. While Matthew wasn't familiar with Aiden Bryner and Jude Law, he knew Ewan McGregor was a big star from Star Wars.
"No wonder it attracted a journalist." It clicked for Matthew.
He said firmly, "No comment."
With that, Matthew turned to get back into the car, but the reporter stepped forward to block him, "Wait."
"If you keep bothering me," Matthew took out his phone and checked the time, "I'm calling the police."
High heels clicked on the pavement nearby; turning, Matthew saw Rachel, the model, stepping out of her house and walking towards them.
The reporter, not giving up, pulled out several bills, "Get me into Johnny Lee Miller's estate, and these three hundred dollars are yours."
"Three hundred dollars?"
Had it been before, Matthew might have been tempted, but not now. He shook his head, "I'm a professional."
Three hundred dollars to take a risk was a joke, especially since unlike Angelina Jolie, a reporter would certainly let things leak.
It wasn't just about Johnny Lee Miller; adding Ewan McGregor to the mix was definitely not worth the risk.
"Not even for five thousand," he thought to himself, dismissing the reporter's offer with disdain.
Ignoring the proffered cash, Matthew walked past the tall woman, who reminded him of a tennis player he once saw, Maria Sharapova.
The reporter put her hands on her hips as Matthew got into the Ford and started it up. She raised her foot to kick the tire again, but Matthew swiftly drove forward a few feet, startling her.
Pulling up beside the model Rachel, he opened the passenger door for her. Once she was inside, he drove off.
"Oh..." Rachel noticed Matthew's return, moving to the seat next to him, "You're back, Matthew."
Matthew smiled at her, "Bill Mattson quit. I'm driving this car again."
"Bill mentioned you got a role?" Rachel's eyes shone with envy, "And it's in a Ridley Scott film?"
"Yep." Matthew nodded nonchalantly, "Just a small part, a few close-ups."
"Close-ups? Several?" Rachel was astounded.
She tapped the seat, "God, did I hear right? I remember this is your third role, right?"
Seeing Matthew nod, Rachel continued, "You're so lucky it's almost en
vious!"
"My agent has some connections with Ridley Scott," Matthew casually mentioned, "That's how I got the role."
Rachel was still envious. If she had had such opportunities, she might not have ended up in her current predicament.
The two chatted along the way as usual. Matthew picked up seven female models and delivered them to Johnny Lee Miller's estate in Malibu. The security at the estate had visibly tightened, with guards following the Ford until he left.
Parking in his usual spot, Matthew had barely stopped the car when he saw the yellow Chevrolet pull up beside him.
The tall female reporter grabbed her camera, took a few photos of the estate, placed the camera on the passenger seat, stepped out, and tapped on Matthew's window.
"Hey!" She motioned for him to lower the window.
Matthew rolled down the window, "Give it up, I won't let you in."
Unperturbed, the reporter introduced herself, "I'm Eilena Boyar, a reporter with American News. What's your name?"
"Matthew." He didn't offer his last name.
"Nice to meet you, Matthew." The reporter seemed to rein in her temper, "Don't worry, I won't ask you to take me inside again. I just want to take a few pictures from outside."
She knocked on the door, "Can we talk in the car?"
Matthew opened the door, allowing the so-called Eilena Boyar to enter.
"This is a nice car." Eilena sat down beside Matthew, examining the vehicle's interior, "It's no less than those little stars' nanny vans."
Matthew ignored her comment, focusing on his earlier question, "You know Mattson?"
"Yes." Eilena adjusted her seat back, "He was an informant of mine, providing me with entertainment news. Last week, he told me about this party and took money to get me inside for some explosive news."
"How much did you give him?" Matthew asked.
Eilena shrugged and shook her head, "A thousand dollars, and now..."
She stared at Matthew, "Are you interested?"
Matthew knew what she meant, "To be your entertainment informant? Selling inside information about the company's clients to you?"
"I would pay you well," Eilena tempted.
"I'm not interested," Matthew declined, "I don't have the time. I need to rest at night, or I'll doze off in acting class the next day..."
"Acting class?" Eilena turned to him curiously, "You're an actor?"
Matthew nodded slightly, "I am an actor." He patted the steering wheel, "This is just my side job."
Eilena realized he was just another small-time actor; Los Angeles was full of them.
"Which productions have you been in?" she probed, hoping to glean some useful information.
Just as Matthew was about to respond, his phone rang. He pulled it out to see a call from Helen Herman.
He pressed the answer button, "Hi, Helen. What's up this late?"
Helen's crisp voice came through, "Get ready, come to the office by nine tomorrow morning. There's an audition you need to attend."
Matthew asked directly, not wanting to be as unprepared as he had been for the Gladiator crew, "Can you tell me what it's for?"
Helen was straightforward, "The male lead in Britney Spears' new music video."
"What?" Matthew almost stood up in surprise, "I heard that right? Britney Spears' music video?"
His voice was loud enough, and combined with his old phone's speaker leak, Eilena Boyar immediately perked up. Britney Spears had been a sensation since the beginning of the year, and any news about her attracted massive attention.
She looked at Matthew, wondering if he was really about to audition for the male lead in a Britney Spears music video.
"Great! Great! Great!" Hearing Helen confirm, Matthew nodded repeatedly, "I'll be there on time."
Anyone who had even a slight interest in entertainment news knew who Britney Spears was. This woman was a gossip factory; Matthew had spent quite a bit of his leisure time following news about her shaving her head, her weight issues, and feuds with childhood friends.
After hanging up, Matthew put away his phone, trying to contain his excitement. After all, it was just an audition; nothing was guaranteed yet.
Beside him, Eilena Boyar recognized that the news might be true and started thinking rapidly about the possibilities.