Chapter 590

"Eric, you bastard! How dare you lie to me?! Damn it, either give me the real tape or give me my money back, you lying piece of shit!!!"

Eric looked confused and held the phone farther from his ear.

"What's wrong?" Adelaide asked.

"Harvey's accusing me of lying to him. I'm just as confused!" Eric replied.

"This old guy's not trying to weasel out of paying the remaining two million, is he?"

"He better not! We're not exactly pushovers!"

Harvey's angry voice could still be heard faintly through the phone: "I'm not someone to be trifled with! If you don't give me the video or my money back, I swear I'll make you regret it!"

Eric's frown deepened.

8:00 PM – NBC News

"Tonight, our station received a videotape from a Hollywood veteran. It contains explosive content related to Mr. Brad Pitt. Let's take a look…"

"Holy shit!"

"What the fuck!"

"What a scumbag!"

Similar exclamations echoed across the United States. The contents of the tape were absolutely shocking.

"Is that Brad Pitt… and his maid?"

"I've heard rumors for years that Brad Pitt had a thing for maids, but he always denied it. Well, now we've got confirmation."

"Unbelievable. Just the other day he was blaming Jennifer Aniston in the press—saying their divorce was because she didn't want kids and had a cold personality. What a damn liar."

"Told you! Back when they split, I said something was off about that guy."

At that moment, Martin was at Jennifer's farm in the New York suburbs. The two of them were curled up on the couch watching the broadcast.

"Did you do this?" Jennifer asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"I told you—I was going to clear your name. That bastard dared to slander you, so of course I had to teach him a lesson."

"Oh, honey, you're amazing."

Jennifer cupped Martin's face and kissed him. After a moment, their lips parted, and she turned back to the screen, a look of relief washing over her face.

"This should ruin that bastard's reputation for good, right?"

Martin smiled. "Even if it doesn't totally destroy him, it'll embarrass the hell out of him. His standing in Hollywood's going to take a serious hit. And once this goes public, the press will start digging—other maids might come forward. That guy's in for a nightmare."

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Brad Pitt's phone rang.

"Damn it, Brad, turn on the TV! NBC News. Someone's coming after you hard," shouted his agent, Brad Grey.

"Wha—what?"

Brad Pitt turned on the TV, confusion written across his face.

Then his eyes widened. "What the fuck?! How—?!"

"Brad, did you do this? Don't lie to me. I need the truth to clean up this mess!"

The phone was still connected, Brad Grey's voice blaring through the speaker.

Brad Pitt stammered, "I-I—I did the deed, but I didn't film it!"

"So you did do it?" Brad Grey immediately latched onto that.

"I mean… I…"

"Enough with the dodging! Time is critical. Tell me the truth."

"Okay, fine! Yes, I did it, but I swear, I never recorded anything!"

"Fuck. Then it must've been the maid who recorded it in secret, you idiot!"

"If I find out who sent that tape to NBC, I swear—!"

"It was Harvey!" Brad Grey cut him off.

Brad Pitt was stunned by the name.

"What?! Harvey? Why?! I thought we were on good terms! Are you sure?"

"I don't know why he did it, but it's definitely him. I made some calls after the tape aired—someone at NBC saw Harvey talking to Ronald Meyer at the Radio and Television Building this morning. They saw him hand over a package."

"And Ronald Meyer is the one who aired the tape. So yeah, it's real."

"Fuck me… What the hell is Harvey playing at? After all the ass-kissing I've done these past few months?! This is what I get?!"

"I don't know what went wrong between you two, but we need to fix this fast."

"How?"

"Get the maid to speak out. Pay her if you have to."

"Say what?"

"Say that it was love—true love. That's the only way out. Also, any other maids you've messed with? Pay them, get them out of town, shut them up. Whatever it takes—don't let the press dig them up."

"Damn it, but… there are too many. I don't even have contact info for some of them!"

"…Jesus, Brad. How many maids have you had?!"

While Brad Pitt and his agent scrambled to contain the fallout, women's rights groups in New York and Los Angeles were already on the move.

Within half an hour of the broadcast, official websites for various women's advocacy organizations posted statements expressing serious concern over the so-called "Maidgate" scandal.

They issued a call to action: If you were harassed, coerced, or threatened by Brad Pitt, please come forward. We will provide legal and emotional support.

The day after Maidgate exploded — Premiere of 127 Hours

The premiere was low-key. The film was an art-house survival drama, not expected to be a box office smash, but positioned for awards. Budget was saved where possible.

Still, because it was Martin's directorial debut, many of his friends from the industry showed up to support him.

The red carpet was full of stars:Bruce Willis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson…Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Anne Hathaway…

Reporters naturally asked Jennifer Aniston about the Brad Pitt scandal.

Jennifer replied calmly, "What he did is his business. We're no longer connected. But I'm grateful to whoever released that video. At least now, people understand why I divorced him."

Other celebrities also shared their thoughts on Maidgate:

Bruce Willis: "Cheating on your wife—especially before the divorce? That's betrayal, plain and simple."Leonardo DiCaprio: "I don't know him well. But I don't like him."Tobey Maguire: "Sorry, I'd rather not comment."Nicole Kidman: "Brad Pitt is not a good man."Charlize Theron: "He deserves to be nailed to the Rock of Shame."