Due to the sudden incident and the slap mark on Charlize Theron's face, shooting could no longer continue. Stuart Townsend, fuming, left the set in his luxury car. People familiar with the set, like Doug Liman and Aziva Gosman, offered a few comforting words before quickly returning to their busy schedules.
The shooting was temporarily halted, and there were many issues for Doug Liman and Aziva Gosman to handle.
Matthew was not worried about Stuart Townsend calling the police. There were witnesses and the involved parties who could testify that he had acted to stop a crime and in self-defense.
If Stuart Townsend wasn't foolish, he would definitely not call the police.
Charlize stood still, her delicate and beautiful face unusually cold.
The temporary assistant brought over a cold towel, which Matthew handed to Charlize.
"Thank you." Charlize took it and pressed it against her cheek, looking at Matthew. "Sorry for dragging you into this mess."
Matthew shook his head. "We're friends; I couldn't just watch you being…" He sighed softly, "Let's go back to your trailer; this isn't the place to talk."
Charlize nodded and followed Matthew away to the seclusion of her makeup trailer.
"Does it still hurt?" Matthew asked with concern.
"It's okay now." Charlize set the towel aside, the imprint still visible on her face. "Matthew... I never expected things to turn out like this."
Matthew handed her a glass of water. "Enduring it isn't the solution," he said, placing the water on the makeup table in front of her. "It's tough to hear, but you need to think this through, Sally."
Although he didn't spell it out, Charlize understood his implication. Sitting in front of the makeup mirror, she observed the prominent slap mark that was more visible than ever before.
"Thank you, Matthew," she suddenly said.
Matthew pulled up a makeup chair and sat beside her. "You don't have to thank me."
Charlize continued to stare into the mirror. "I'm partly to blame for it getting to this point."
Hearing this, Matthew frowned slightly, hoping Charlize wasn't still harboring hopes for Stuart Townsend.
"You're right," Charlize's voice was somber, "Tolerance is not indulgence."
She stood up. "I will seriously consider ending this relationship."
Matthew also stood. "Sally, don't let yourself get hurt anymore."
Charlize nodded, pulled out her phone, and dialed her manager. Once connected, she said, "Come to the set in Valencia. Something has happened. It's urgent; I'll wait for you."
After hanging up, she looked at Matthew. "Am I being too weak?"
"Not at all," Matthew gently shook his head. "Matters of the heart aren't about strength or weakness, and there's no winning or losing."
Charlize's curiosity was piqued. "Have you gone through something similar?"
"Sally, do you know who my first love was?" Matthew seemed genuinely honest, as if trusting Charlize completely. "Pop star Britney Spears. I was really into her back then."
Charlize, momentarily forgetting her recent ordeal, was shocked. "You dated Britney?"
"Back around 2000," Matthew shared, knowing people here generally don't dwell on the past, especially in Hollywood. He used this bit of history to show his openness. "I wasn't famous then, so aside from my manager, nobody knew about me and Britney being a couple."
He smiled. "Britney was very busy, sometimes we couldn't see each other for a month. Time and distance wore down our relationship; we were both in pain but knew breaking up was the best way to stop the pain."
Matthew's phone rang. He checked it—it was Helen Herman, probably nearby.
"My manager is here," he told Charlize. "I need to meet her."
Charlize also noticed the two reporters. "If you need anything, just say the word."
Matthew didn't hesitate. "You might want to prepare as well."
The phone kept ringing as he left the makeup trailer to answer Helen's call, then waited for her to arrive so they could discuss the situation in his own trailer.
"This was all a coincidence?" Helen questioned with some doubt.
"I was just finding a quiet spot to take your call when I saw it happen," Matthew explained confidently. "You know I'm good friends with Sally. I'm always loyal to my friends; I couldn't just watch her getting hit…"
Helen knew Matthew had been hanging out frequently with Depp, Theron, and Reeves in Depp's bar over the past couple of years and seemed genuinely close to them.
Now that the incident had occurred, the priority wasn't to delve into its origins but to manage its fallout.
"Don't worry too much," Helen reasoned after thinking it through. "Since it involves TMZ people,
Elena's team will likely notify us, and you were in the right, according to your account. The only loser here will be Stuart Townsend."
Matthew nodded in agreement.
"If Townsend is smart, he'll stay quiet once TMZ goes public and just lay low for a while," Helen added, giving Matthew a look. "Charlize's stance will also be crucial."
"Rest assured," Matthew appeared very confident. "Unless something major happens, Charlize will definitely break up with Stuart Townsend."
Relieved, Helen paced the trailer, then abruptly said, "Matthew, no matter what's behind all this, since it's happened and it's advantageous to us, we should use it to our best benefit."
Matthew had no objections.
"Arrange a dinner with Elena tonight," she spoke quickly and quietly, having already thought it through. "Once the incident hits the media, I'll talk with Aziva Gosman... and Charlize's manager."
Meanwhile, in another makeup trailer, agent Heidi Shafer had just listened to Charlize's account.
Heidi examined the bruise on Charlize's face and said with emphasis, "Sally, it's worse than before! I seriously doubt you'd be standing here if Matthew Horner hadn't stepped in!"
"You think you can keep enduring this?" Heidi asked, not waiting for Charlize's reply. "Do you want there to be a next time? I advised you last year, and I'll say it again, break up with Stuart Townsend!"
She stressed further, "Otherwise, he'll destroy you!"
"I've decided," Charlize stated after some thought. "I'm going to break up with Stuart Townsend."
Heidi sighed in relief, then said, "Sally, TMZ got this on camera, and they're hard to manage. Be prepared for this to go public."
"I'm ready," Charlize affirmed, having made her decision.
"There are a few things I need to remind you," Heidi continued, sensing Charlize's resolve. "You're pushing for an A-list spot; we need to minimize the negative impact of this incident."
"Heidi..." Charlize shook her head, "Can we not discuss this now?"
"This is about your career," Heidi insisted. "Handled correctly, this could also be an opportunity."
Exhausted, Charlize waved her hand, "Handle it as you see fit."
Heidi nodded, "Alright, I'll take full charge then."
After tidying up at the set, Heidi spoke with several people, especially the two eyewitnesses. She quickly formed a plan.
With Stuart Townsend's appalling behavior, she didn't need to do much.
The key was to fully expose the efforts Charlize had made to maintain the relationship and the acts committed by Stuart, ensuring media and public sympathy for Charlize, which would also aid in her image building.
Furthermore, with Matthew Horner as one of the parties involved, his forthcoming comments, if favorable to Charlize, would leave Stuart Townsend with no room to recover.
According to Charlize, Matthew had been her friend for years and had fought Stuart because of that. It shouldn't be difficult to convince him to speak well on her behalf.
Also, support from the crew would make the situation even better.
Heidi quickly decided to wait and see how public opinion formed, planning to contact the crew and Matthew Horner the next day to help Charlize shed the burden of Stuart Townsend.
Charlize was her most important client, and without the nuisance of Stuart Townsend, she could likely go much further.
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