"Matthew! Matthew! Are you pursuing Ms. Theron?"
"Matthew, Charlize, are you two dating?"
"Charlize, you and Matthew have always been good friends, have you been moved by him?"
At Los Angeles International Airport, Matthew and Charlize Theron had just emerged from the arrival gate when more than a dozen entertainment reporters swarmed them, firing a barrage of questions.
However, Matthew and Charlize Theron both had their faces obscured by large sunglasses and showed no intention of answering, simply pushing their luggage and walking towards the airport exit.
The reporters were persistent, continuing to follow and press them, even chasing after Matthew and Charlize Theron once they had gotten into a car.
As the car drove out of the airport, Matthew looked back, knowing that those guys would definitely follow them all the way to see if he and Charlize Theron would get out at the same place.
"Where's your assistant?" Matthew pulled out his phone and turned it on, asking Charlize Theron, "No need to wait for her?"
Charlize Theron shook her head, "No need. I shipped a lot of things from South Africa earlier, and she needs to contact people and a car to transport them back."
Speaking of her assistant, she remembered something and said, "I remember you were looking for a personal assistant a while ago, did you find one?"
Matthew shook his head, "I interviewed a few candidates at the time, but none felt right, and then I got busy and put it aside."
"Can I recommend someone to you?" Charlize Theron turned to look at him.
"Sure," Matthew nodded.
"Carla… that's my red-haired assistant; she's been with me for several years." Charlize Theron said directly, "Her younger sister graduated from college last year and also came to Los Angeles. She's currently an intern at a newspaper. I've met that girl a few times and she seems pretty good."
Compared to hiring a stranger, an introduction from an acquaintance is more reliable. Matthew thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll be resting these next few days. Do you think she's free tomorrow or the day after? I'll meet her."
Charlize Theron took out her phone, made a call, and quickly hung up. A few minutes later, another call came in. She chatted for a few sentences, then asked Matthew, "Tomorrow afternoon?"
Matthew had no work schedule for the next two days, so he said, "Tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM, at the Knot Coffee Shop on South Beverly Drive."
Charlize Theron repeated Matthew's words into her phone, and they agreed to meet tomorrow afternoon.
About ten minutes later, Charlize Theron got out of the car first. The black car started up again and took Matthew to his home north of Burbank.
Seeing that there was no more drama to film, the entertainment reporters quickly dispersed.
Back home, he tidied up his luggage. Because he had flown first class, he didn't feel tired from the long flight. He went to his study, opened his computer, and checked the emails that had accumulated over the past few days.
He had two email accounts, one for work and one private, the latter known to very few people.
In his work email, there were dozens of unread messages. Matthew quickly browsed through them. Many were job applications; the information about his assistant recruitment was still posted on a job website.
Matthew didn't reply; he could decide later after meeting the person Charlize Theron recommended tomorrow.
Besides job applications, there were also some interview invitations from newspapers and magazines, but they had clearly sent them to the wrong place; such invitations should have been sent to Angel Agency or Helen Herman.
Closing his work email, he opened his private email. Fewer people knew about his private email, and there were only two unread messages.
One was from Elena Boyar, sent two days ago, asking if he and Charlize Theron were really together.
Matthew didn't reply and deleted it directly. *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* wouldn't be released until May, so now wasn't the time to answer those questions.
The other was a routine letter from Lily Collins. Ever since he left his email address, this girl would send two emails every month, the content of which was mostly similar, typically adolescent girl musings. However, this time was different; in the email, Lily Collins asked if she could interview him as a junior reporter.
In fact, Matthew knew very well that his largest fan base was teenagers.
After reading the email, he thought for a while and replied to Lily Collins, asking her or the magazine she contributed to to contact Helen Herman, and he wrote down the email address of Angel Agency's public relations department and sent it to Lily Collins as well.
As for whether such an interview would benefit him or further increase his appeal among teenagers, he left it to Helen Herman and Angel Agency to assess.
He remembered that the magazine Lily Collins contributed to had a considerable influence among teenagers.
The magazine could give Lily Collins a column, partly because she did have some talent, and partly because of her family background.
Having a good family background in Hollywood is still very useful. Matthew had heard that after Robert Downey Jr. was released from prison, although many studios were skeptical of him, there were still quite a few people willing to help him.
His phone suddenly rang. Matthew picked it up, looked at the number, and immediately answered, saying, "is something wrong, Helene?"
Elena Boyar's voice came through the receiver, "You're back in Los Angeles, right? I just saw photos my subordinates took at the international airport."
"Just got home," Matthew stood up and walked towards the window, "I haven't even finished unpacking my luggage."
Elena Boyar on the other end of the phone said, "I sent you an email two days ago, did you see it?"
Matthew deliberately feigned ignorance, "I haven't seen it yet."
"What's going on with you and Charlize Theron?" Elena Boyar asked directly, "Are you two together?"
Standing by the window, Matthew switched hands holding the phone and said, "It's hard to say right now. Wait a while, and I'll let you know when there's progress."
At that time, Akiva Goldsman, his side, and Charlize Theron's side had all reached a consensus.
"Alright then," Elena Boyar didn't press further, "I'll wait for your good news."
Elena Boyar quickly hung up the phone.
The sky gradually darkened. Around nine in the evening, Charlize Theron called to tell him that her assistant would bring someone to meet him at the Knot Coffee Shop tomorrow afternoon. She was still busy with work and wouldn't be able to make it.
After lunch the next day, Matthew drove his black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen to South Beverly Drive. This car was indeed a powerful tool for showing off; even in a country like America, it still turned heads considerably. Since he had signed an endorsement contract with Mercedes-Benz, he certainly couldn't drive his original BMW X5 anymore.
Looking back, he had earned a lot of money in recent years, but had only bought this entry-level luxury car. Luxury homes remained only on paper plans. Compared to other Hollywood stars who spent lavishly, he was truly far behind.
Matthew still had a bit of foresight and a certain sense of crisis, because he was very clear that his current success was largely due to the memories he had retained from watching pirated movies, which had also helped him avoid pitfalls multiple times. But what about the future?
There were too many stars in Hollywood who were infinitely glamorous during their heyday but lived miserable lives in old age.
He liked luxury cars, beautiful women, luxury homes, and enjoying life. In these aspects, he was just like ordinary people and was willing to pay for them, but he kept it within limits.
He certainly didn't want to end up like Nicolas Cage in the future, going across the Pacific to film bad movies and scam money, did he?
Besides acting, another major source of income for stars is advertising endorsements. Helen Herman was also looking for endorsements that would not be lower in caliber than the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV, but endorsements of that caliber also required luck and opportunity.
Matthew entered the coffee shop and immediately saw Carla, with her long red hair. She and another girl with short red hair were sitting at a coffee table near the entrance. Seeing Matthew, they immediately came to greet him.
"Hello, Mr. Horner," Carla, who naturally recognized Matthew, introduced the short-haired girl beside her, "This is my sister Bella, Bella Anderson."
Seeing Matthew look a little puzzled, she explained, "We're half-sisters."
Matthew smiled and nodded, "Hello, Ms. Anderson."
The red-haired girl said generously, "Just call me Bella."
Matthew gestured to the two, "Let's sit down and talk."
"Mr. Horner, you can talk to Bella," Carla, understanding professional etiquette, politely excused herself, "I need to buy something for Ms. Theron and will be back later."
She left directly, and Matthew and the girl named Bella sat on opposite sides of the coffee table they had just been at.
During this time, he had already subtly observed the girl. Bella Anderson looked to be twenty-two or twenty-three, with typical Western features, a few freckles on her face, and her most striking feature was her reddish-brown short hair.
Since she was introduced by Charlize Theron, Matthew didn't beat around the bush. "Let's begin," he said straightforwardly, "My work type is similar to your sister Carla's, mainly assisting me with various matters around me."
Bella Anderson nodded lightly, "Mhm."
Matthew continued, "Regarding compensation, the annual salary for this position is thirty thousand dollars, with corresponding social benefits, and an annual bonus will be awarded based on your work performance."
"That's basically it," he pondered for a moment, then said, "Tell me about yourself."
Bella Anderson was quite composed, speaking unhurriedly, "I graduated last year from a regular university in Arizona, majoring in Media and Public Relations. I came to Los Angeles in August and am currently an intern at *The California Independent* newspaper…"
Listening to her self-introduction, Matthew was generally satisfied. He then asked a few more questions, concluding the so-called interview.
Over the next few days, he met several other applicants, but ultimately decided to choose Bella Anderson. Bella Anderson also resigned from the newspaper and officially began serving as Matthew's personal assistant from the end of January.