Jacobs

Hugo stood on the stairs, traversing through the bustling crowd, silently watching Tracey. The music around him was loud, but Tracey stood quietly amidst the swaying crowd, gazing at Hugo with deep meaning, like a statue, a statue of the goddess of revenge.

Due to the distance and lighting, Hugo couldn't see Tracey's expression clearly, but often, it's just a feeling. The other person's gaze, their aura, can be directly sensed even from a long distance. At this moment, Hugo keenly felt the pressure emanating from Tracey, as if she held a sharp dagger in her hand.

Today, Tracey wore a well-fitted red evening gown, revealing her shrewd and intelligent temperament. Though time had taken away her youth, it left behind a more precious wealth. The dazzling red awakened a memory deep in Hugo's mind. He finally remembered what happened between his previous self and Tracey. It was now, just a little less than two hours before the New Year, that Hugo connected the pieces together.

Hugo Lancaster and Tracey Jacobs met at the audition for the "Dead Poets Society". Lancaster's handsome face and outstanding demeanor easily caught Tracey's attention. At that time, Lancaster was only twenty-two years old, a senior student at Yale University. In his youthful aura, there was a blend of gentlemanly and sunny masculinity, making Lancaster stand out as a candidate for the role of Neil.

Someone once jokingly said that in Hollywood, the fastest shortcut to fame is to sleep your way to the top. This is a fact, and it can't even be considered an unwritten rule because, for many newcomers, getting an opportunity through such a "simple and quick" method is undoubtedly the best. Many producers and directors, even if they don't want to, always have people coming to them willingly.

Unsurprisingly, Lancaster and Tracey got together for just one night, and then Lancaster secured the role in the "Dead Poets Society", transitioning from an undergraduate to being on the actor's list.

What was originally just a one-night stand lingered in Tracey's mind. In fact, Lancaster was not only handsome but also a gentleman, treating women with thoughtfulness and consideration. Besides his appearance, his scholarly and sunny sophistication had a special allure for women. Tracey didn't anticipate what would follow. After the first night, there was a second night, and it continued to increase. The accumulation of their encounters in 1989 wasn't rapid, but after entering 1990, Tracey's special treatment of Lancaster was no longer a secret in the industry.

In reality, although Lancaster's performance in the "Dead Poets Society" was outstanding, he was at most a supporting actor transitioning to a lead actor in the second tier. Especially with the character of Neil, which didn't garner Lancaster any acting nominations, Lancaster's path to becoming a lead actor still required several works as a foundation. However, with Tracey and Ron's help, Lancaster quickly rose from a supporting role to a leading role.

In 1990, in the movie "Desperate Hours", Lancaster joined a huge cast including director Michael Cimino, actors Anthony Hopkins and Mimi Rogers, and contributed to a film that was panned and received scathing criticism. This put tremendous pressure on Lancaster, who sat in the male lead position for the first time, and earned him his first Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor.

In the span of one year, from being the rising star of the "Dead Poets Society" to a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for "Desperate Hours", Lancaster's journey as an actor could be described as a roller coaster ride. However, relying on Tracey and Ron's exceptional abilities, Lancaster's career as an actor wasn't greatly affected. Unfortunately, the subsequent films, "The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane" and "Hudson Hawk", were even worse, leading to Lancaster winning the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor in early 1992.

During these two years, Tracey maintained a relationship with Lancaster. Although they never officially dated or called each other boyfriend and girlfriend, their intimate connection had become an open secret, except for the fact that they never lived together.

On Christmas Eve in 1990, Lancaster prepared a special night for Tracey, which moved her deeply and made her realize that she had developed feelings. She had always thought that her relationship with Lancaster was purely physical, just a casual affair. However, that night, as Tracey looked at Lancaster, she couldn't deny the tremor in her heart. Lies, even the most perfect ones, can deceive the world, but they can't deceive oneself.

This made Tracey somewhat panicked and scared because she never believed that she and Lancaster could have a future together. She always saw Lancaster as just a "bed companion", and the assistance she provided was merely a "reward". Although it may sound harsh, that's how Tracey saw it—a purely transactional relationship. But when emotions became entangled in the transaction, things became complicated.

Tracey's initial reaction was denial, so she had a fling with a young actor, attempting to deny her true feelings. Unfortunately, she failed. Caught in a state of panic, Tracey intensified her efforts to find another actor to fulfill the role of a regular bed companion, hoping to find a way to validate her true emotions.

Unexpectedly, Lancaster stumbled upon Tracey's encounter with another man. No man can tolerate such a situation, and neither could Lancaster. He immediately beat up the other man, triggering a heated argument between him and Tracey. It ended with Lancaster storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Lancaster had thought that he and Tracey had something special between them. Although they never explicitly discussed it, they had maintained their relationship for almost two years. In the end, it turned out that he was the one more invested, leaving Lancaster furious.

Shortly after, Lancaster auditioned for "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", a role that was originally reserved for him. Tracey was one of the producers, which allowed Lancaster not only to be involved in a $50 million project but also gave him the opportunity to work with Morgan Freeman and Sean Connery.

However, during the audition process, there was undeniable chemistry between Lancaster and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, a candidate for the female lead. This infuriated Tracey, who believed that Lancaster was deliberately seeking revenge on her and that he was having an affair with Mary, just to fuel her jealousy.

In her anger, Tracey directly prevented Lancaster from getting the male lead role, and instead, Kevin Costner was cast. Lancaster was the last to find out about this outcome, and even his agent at the time, Ron Meyer, was kept in the dark.

After this incident, Lancaster and Tracey had another intense argument, and the result was Lancaster saying, "We'll never see each other again," before turning and walking away from Tracey.

For Lancaster, this undefined relationship had come to an end. Shortly after, "Hudson Hawk" began its promotion. Exhausted, Lancaster pursued an ordinary nurse and they had a promising start. Unfortunately, "Hudson Hawk" faced both box office and critical failure after its release. Lancaster, feeling disheartened by three consecutive failures, found solace in love. Though Tracey was also tormented by the failure of her three films, she finally realized that she had truly fallen in love with Lancaster. She turned around and tried to hold on to him.

Tracey poured out all her emotions to Lancaster, sharing her journey with him, hoping to start anew. However, Lancaster knew that their relationship was never normal from the beginning, and even after two years, it had not found its right path. On the contrary, Lancaster's current romantic relationship was gradually becoming stable. Therefore, without hesitation, Lancaster firmly rejected Tracy.

This completely infuriated Tracey. She believed this was Lancaster's second revenge against her, accusing him of not breaking up with her before pursuing another woman. The situation became very messy. Unfortunately, Lancaster did not compromise and remained steadfast in his decision to cut ties with Tracey.

Those were days filled with struggles. Tracey relentlessly sought Lancaster's attention, visiting him more than five times. Sometimes she angrily scolded him, and other times she fell to her knees in tears, pleading with him. Especially after the release of "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", despite its impressive box office performance, ranking second in the 1991 North American box office with $165 million, the film received terrible reviews. Kevin Costner, who played the lead role, was even nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actor, losing to Lancaster who won the award.

This situation put enormous mental pressure on Tracey. After being continuously rejected by Lancaster, Tracey finally realized that Lancaster's feelings for the fictional nurse were genuine, and she spiraled into madness. There's a saying that goes, "Men can't tolerate their girlfriend's physical infidelity, while women can't tolerate their boyfriend's emotional infidelity." If Tracey had previously thought that Lancaster was just playing around or seeking revenge, now she knew that Lancaster had completely left her. This relationship had come to an end, and that realization made Tracey calm down. She fulfilled Lancaster's wish and finally ended the relationship.

But did this relationship truly "end"? It was only the end in a literal sense. Afterwards, Tracey embarked on her revenge against Lancaster, as she couldn't tolerate his "emotional infidelity". Lancaster's 1991 was filled with numerous negative news, starting from the failure of his movies, then drug abuse, alcoholism, fights, car accidents, and scandals. Under the overwhelming media exposure, just as Tracey desired, Lancaster broke up with the nurse.

What happened afterwards was already in Hugo's memory. Lancaster fell into despair, indulging himself completely. He pursued Uma but failed once again. He willingly participated in the Razzie Awards and was shortly after eliminated from being part of the "A River Runs Through It" cast.

Watching Tracey standing in the crowd, Hugo couldn't help but shudder.