The sky began to brighten from the east, and the light streamed through the windows into a nanny van where Helen Herman was waking up. She rubbed her eyes, opened the van door, and stretched, feeling uncomfortable all over. She grabbed her bag, pulled out a mirror to check her appearance, and then found a piece of gum to chew.
She glanced at her watch; it was just past five in the morning.
Looking up at the hotel ahead, she wondered what time Matthew, that jerk, would come out.
Her gaze shifted as she noticed a tall woman approaching—it was Elena Pojar, the editor-in-chief of TMZ, who had personally overseen last night's operations.
"Hi, Helen," Elena approached briskly. "Been here all night?"
"I just woke up," Helen replied, trying to appear alert.
She didn't mention it aloud, but she knew the importance of "Dawn of the Dead" for Matthew. A successful box office for this film could help him break out of his niche in period action films and prove his ability to carry a movie on his own.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" had been a success, and Will Turner was popular, but she remembered that the most appealing and popular figure was always Johnny Depp.
Matthew was currently a solid second-tier actor and needed about three successful films to firmly climb to the top tier. "Dawn of the Dead," being crucial for his ascent, could not afford to just break even in North America.
The impact of marketing on a film's box office could sometimes surpass the film itself.
Elena leaned on the van door next to Helen, saying, "Last night was a bit off. Besides the people Sean Daniel brought in and some scattered reporters, there seemed to be another group lurking around."
Helen frowned slightly, "Another group?" A thought flashed through her mind, "Could Scarlett Johansson's side also have made arrangements?"
"That's possible," Elena looked toward the hotel, continuing, "Those people were still camped out at the hotel entrance like my photographers."
Helen crossed her arms, tapping her chin while pacing back and forth. "I remember Scarlett Johansson passed the audition for Michael Bay's 'The Island,' produced by DreamWorks, which hasn't been promoted much yet…"
Putting the pieces together, she was almost certain, "Elena, it seems like Scarlett's side has plans too."
Elena shook her head, "It seems Matthew's charm isn't as great as we thought."
Helen's phone rang suddenly. She checked it and, after a brief conversation, turned to Helen, "I have to discuss a deal, I'll be back soon. If Matthew comes out, wait for me, this deal might involve him."
Helen nodded, too preoccupied with Scarlett's possible involvement to inquire further.
If Elena's suspicions were correct, last night's events were intriguing. Both Helen and Matthew, along with Sean Daniel, wanted to capitalize on the Oscars buzz to promote their movie with sensational news, and it seemed Scarlett's side did too, and both sides had coincidentally clashed…
She returned to the van to search her contacts for Scarlett Johansson's agent's information.
In a brief moment, Helen considered the implications if this was true. It wasn't about calling Matthew out for a simple split; that would benefit no one. To maximize benefits, the best approach would be a joint publicity stunt, often yielding a "greater than the sum of its parts" effect.
After searching her contacts and not finding the agent's number, she quickly called her assistant, "Find Scarlett Johansson's agent's contact info, fast!"
After hanging up, she stepped out of the van and found a secluded corner near the hotel entrance to wait.
Inside the hotel lobby, Matthew and Scarlett exited the elevator, having already changed into regular clothes provided by the hotel. Hand in hand, they stepped out of the hotel entrance, and their parting moment arrived.
"How will you get back?" Matthew asked Scarlett, "Need a ride?"
Scarlett, aware her agent was nearby, declined, "No, my car should be waiting close by."
Matthew nodded and waved at a black Mercedes, which promptly drove up.
Scarlett's eyes darted around, noticing many paparazzi near the hotel entrance. She knew something more was needed at this moment.
Just as she thought this, she felt a pair of rough, strong hands cup her face, followed by a fiery kiss. Recalling the near-wild passion from the night before, she wrapped her arms around Matthew, responding fervently.
The paparazzi scattered near the entrance, their cameras and video recorders focused on them, rapidly capturing every moment.
The Mercedes arrived at the hotel front, and Matthew and Scarlett parted, laughing, "Goodbye, Scar."
Scarlett nodded slightly, "Goodbye, Matthew."
Matthew got into the car, which drove off only to circle back and park in a lot across from the hotel, near the Angel Agency van.
"You head back to the office," Matthew told the driver before stepping out.
Helen had just returned, standing by the van. She opened the door for Matthew, "Get in."
Both climbed into the spacious van.
The vehicle didn't start, waiting for Elena. After hearing Helen's speculation, Matthew was somewhat surprised, "Helen, are you saying, it's not just us needing the hype, but Scarlett Johansson is doing the same?"
"That's very likely," Helen responded calmly. "After Elena warned me, I realized that Scarlett just became the lead actress in Michael Bay's project, and this 'The Island' project hasn't had any early promotion. There might be DreamWorks behind it."
Matthew scratched his head, "No wonder Scarlett was so easy to approach, I thought she was too easy to hook up."
Helen added, "Her reputation wasn't great to begin with."
Matthew acknowledged this; from their interaction last night in the hotel room, Scarlett seemed like an experienced young woman.
He wasn't particularly surprised; this was California, one of the most liberal states in the U.S., where even ordinary nineteen-year-olds typically had several boyfriends.
Matthew looked at Helen, "What's your plan?"
Helen directly shared her thoughts, "I'm trying to contact Scarlett Johansson's agent. If this is true, we could collaborate on the publicity."
She explained, "Joining forces would be more effective than acting alone."
Since the goal was to generate buzz, Matthew agreed, "Okay, let's handle it that way."
Just then, someone knocked on the van door. Helen unlocked it, and Elena climbed in, staring strangely at Matthew.
"What's wrong?" Matthew asked, puzzled, "Don't recognize me?"
Elena took a laptop and a large USB drive from her bag, "Matthew, you were too impatient, starting things in the elevator."
She held up the USB drive, "You've been caught on camera! I spent five thousand dollars to get this footage!"
Matthew remained calm, "I was facing away from the camera, and we didn't really do anything, so what's there to worry about?"
Elena was shocked, "You knew there were cameras and still went ahead?"
"Couldn't help it," Matthew confessed, "Besides, even if the cameras caught something not substantive, isn't that a good thing? We're aiming for publicity, and having a video could only enhance that."
In fact, he had intended for this—if the cameras were just for show, fine,
but if they really recorded something, he planned to acquire the footage today. He hadn't expected it to be discovered and sold to Elena already.
If he had really been reckless, why would he choose a position in the elevator where he could use his body to block the view?
Standing there, his tall frame completely obscured everything below Scarlett's head.
Most importantly, there was no actual contact between him and Scarlett in the elevator; it was all just provocative posing. If Helen hadn't mentioned that Scarlett might also be staging a stunt right after getting in the car, he would have told her already.
This saved them the trouble of further action.
Elena then connected the USB drive to her laptop and played the video. Helen leaned over to watch. The two in the elevator were very animated, but their clothes remained on, and nothing explicit was revealed.
Under normal circumstances, if three ordinary people were involved in this kind of situation, it would be awkward.
However, these three were "professionals," with no awkwardness at all.
"It's perfect! We'll release it at the right moment..." Helen stated calmly, "It will definitely ignite public interest."
"I spent $5,000, I'm definitely releasing it," Elena declared.
Matthew pointed at her, "I didn't say you couldn't."
Helen stopped them, "Okay, let's plan this out and get started soon!"