Standing next to the trailer, Matthew leaned on the carriage with one hand and held his phone with the other, speaking to Helen Herman on the other end, "The crew is making good progress. If all goes well, filming should conclude by the end of this month. Please communicate with Disney Pictures about that."
He turned his head and glanced at Charlize Theron, who had walked up to Stuart Townsend not far to his left. They were talking about something, but due to the distance and their low voices, he couldn't hear clearly.
However, judging by Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend's expressions, it seemed they were arguing.
Although he had conspired with Elena Boyar on some matters, Matthew felt it was necessary to stimulate them for a few more days for it to truly take effect.
Matthew continued speaking on the phone, "Helen, remember to schedule some time in my calendar for Zack Snyder..."
Suddenly, something happened between Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend.
"I don't need your pity!"
Stuart Townsend, in the midst of their argument, suddenly raised his voice, looking very agitated. "You never consider my self-respect, you..."
Hearing that word starting with "b," Matthew quickly finished his last sentence with Helen Herman and intended to go over.
He had just taken his first step when Stuart Townsend on the other side had already raised his arm.
Slap—
Stuart Townsend's palm landed on Charlize Theron's face.
Charlize Theron stood there motionless, only looking at Stuart Townsend's face.
Matthew was stunned for a moment, then quickly hastened his steps and rushed over.
Next to the isolation barrier, the temporary workers, who were strictly guarding against reporters, saw this and their mouths dropped open.
The security guard had been standing near the front of the trailer, unable to believe this was real.
On the outskirts of the set, the blonde female reporter and cameraman widened their eyes, filled with incredulity and disbelief.
"is, is this real?" the blonde reporter subconsciously asked the male cameraman, "That kept man slapped Charlize Theron?"
Despite his shock, the male cameraman's camera didn't stop, still filming the scene, and he responded, "Oh my God, oh my God, this world is crazy!"
In fact, she didn't need him to answer; the blonde reporter had already confirmed it was real. Hollywood's famous kept man, the boyfriend of an Oscar-winning actress, had actually laid hands on his girlfriend!
As she watched, Stuart Townsend raised his arm a second time.
From being interviewed by reporters to being stopped by temporary workers, Stuart Townsend had two fires burning inside him, with no outlet. Then Charlize Theron once again defied his words. Unlike the helpless reporters and temporary workers, he could vent his anger and frustration on Charlize Theron.
After the first slap, seeing Charlize Theron's indifferent expression and rapidly fading gaze, Stuart Townsend seemed to see the reporters and temporary workers from earlier.
He raised his arm a second time, then brought it down.
This wasn't the first time this had happened, so Stuart Townsend felt no guilt.
But as his arm descended, his palm didn't touch Charlize Theron's face.
Someone rushed over from the side, blocking the descending arm. Stuart Townsend felt as if his wrist was clamped by an iron band, unable to move an inch.
He turned to look and saw a familiar yet detestable face.
Matthew Horner's savage, ape-like face!
"Sally!" Matthew grabbed Stuart Townsend's arm, then turned to Charlize Theron, asking in confusion, "Why?"
Charlize Theron's face, turned towards Stuart Townsend, only showed indifference, but she didn't answer Matthew's question, just stared at Stuart Townsend's face.
Stuart Townsend glared at Matthew and sharply said, "Let go!"
On the outskirts of the set, two TMZ paparazzi were so excited they almost applauded.
"Big news!" the blonde reporter exclaimed excitedly, "We really did wait for big news!"
The male cameraman seemed to understand, "Did the boss anticipate this outcome when she told us to provoke Stuart Townsend for a few days and follow him around?"
The blonde reporter quickly nodded, "The boss is truly amazing, a strong woman who climbed from a small reporter to an executive position!"
The male cameraman adjusted his lens and continued filming, saying, "We only provoked Stuart Townsend once, and he couldn't hold back. The boss underestimated him too."
"He probably has a very low tolerance for pressure," the blonde reporter said, watching the scene and making her own judgment, "This shouldn't be the first time he's laid hands on Charlize Theron."
Seeing that Matthew had no intention of letting go, Stuart Townsend's anger was fully ignited. He tried to forcefully pull his arm free but couldn't escape the iron-like grip.
He cursed, then clenched his other hand into a fist and swung it at Matthew's face.
"Matthew!"
Charlize Theron instinctively warned him.
Matthew saw the incoming fist. Stuart Townsend's fist was somewhat pale, and its speed and force were much slower than Nebula's or his boxing coach's.
He didn't know what kind of mentality someone like Stuart Townsend had. Charlize Theron had achieved far more than him. If he couldn't accept it, a breakup would suffice. Why act this way? Was it because Charlize Theron could provide him with a comfortable life?
This thought flashed through his mind, but Matthew's hand movements were not slow at all. His free hand lightning-fast grabbed Stuart Townsend's fist, then he turned, twisted his waist, and exerted force, executing the shoulder throw he often practiced.
His strength and physique were far greater than the delicate Stuart Townsend's. With hardly any effort, he threw Stuart Townsend over his head.
Stuart Townsend had no power to resist. He had barely felt his feet leave the ground when his back slammed heavily onto the dirt.
Fortunately, this area was under construction, not hardened concrete or asphalt. Even so, Stuart Townsend was dazed and disoriented, his back aching as if all his bones were broken.
He lay on the ground, just about to let out a scream, when a large, rock-like hand gripped his neck. The scream was forcibly choked back, turning into strange gurgling sounds.
Matthew held Stuart Townsend's neck with his left hand, pointed at him with his right, and warned, "Sally is my friend! If you dare to lay a hand on her again, I'll break your legs!"
After saying that, his right hand formed a fist, positioned directly above Stuart Townsend's face.
Stuart Townsend wanted to say something, but he couldn't make a sound.
Charlize Theron finally reacted, quickly came over, grabbed Matthew's right hand, and shouted, "Matthew, calm down! Calm down!"
At that moment, she suddenly remembered that Matthew had said before that if he saw Stuart Townsend lay hands on her again, he would definitely teach him a lesson.
Charlize Theron was a large-boned person and quite strong herself, but she couldn't pull Matthew's arm. She had to raise her voice again, "Matthew, stop!"
Matthew turned to look at Charlize Theron, "Sally, a person like this..."
Charlize Theron, seeing that Matthew's fist hadn't fallen, breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly said, "We can talk about these things later. Let go of him first. There are paparazzi secretly filming behind us."
Matthew had already seen the two paparazzi working for Elena Boyar. He also knew that two crew members had been watching this area.
He slowly loosened his fist, then released his left hand and stood up.
"Cough—cough—"
Stuart Townsend on the ground began to cough.
However, Charlize Theron didn't pay attention to him. She just stood there, her eyes constantly flitting between Matthew and Stuart Townsend.
The security guard near the front of the car, now recovered from the shock of seeing an Oscar-winning actress being beaten by her boyfriend, quickly rushed over and stood near Stuart Townsend to prevent him from acting again.
The temporary worker also ran over, and the object of their strict guarding changed from the reporters to Stuart Townsend.
The two TMZ reporters stood outside the isolation barrier, diligently fulfilling their duty, faithfully recording everything that happened with their camera lenses.
Stuart Townsend slowly got up from the ground.
The crew was also alerted. Director Doug Liman was the first to arrive. Seeing the red slap mark on Charlize Theron's face, he instantly became furious.
"Who did this!" he roared angrily.
Makeup couldn't cover it up; filming was impossible.
Then more people arrived, even producer Akiva Goldsman.
Akiva Goldsman and Doug Liman quickly understood what had happened, and their gazes towards Stuart Townsend were filled with hostility.
They didn't care about the conflict between Stuart Townsend and Charlize Theron, nor did they care that Stuart Townsend hit Charlize Theron; these were their private matters.
But with Stuart Townsend leaving Charlize Theron's face in such a state, what about the crew's filming today?
They had only rented this location for two days. If they couldn't complete the planned scenes today, a whole series of subsequent filming plans would have to change, resulting in losses of both time and money!
"Are you okay?" Matthew completely ignored Stuart Townsend and asked Charlize Theron with concern, "Do you want to go to the hospital?"
He saw his temporary assistant on the set and called out to her, "Go get a cold towel."
Charlize Theron was well-liked by the crew, and many people looked at Stuart Townsend with disgust.
In fact, some rumors had already been circulating in the industry.
The crew members who came over quickly understood what had happened, and their disgust gradually turned into contempt.
Charlize Theron looked at Stuart Townsend, her eyes growing colder and colder.
Matthew also heard everything. He took out his phone, first sent a text message to Elena Boyar, then dialed Helen Herman's number, "Helen, I hit someone."