Chapter 24: Paladin Told Me to Look After You

"Hello, Mr. Blackburn, I'm Eddie McGoodrick. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."Eddie quickly approached the young man and extended his hand."The pleasure is all mine, Mr. McGoodrick. Please, call me Milo," the young man replied with a smile, shaking his hand.Before Eddie could say anything further, Haggis darted in front of Milo, excitedly grabbing his hand."Hello, Mr. Blackburn! I'm Haggis Duval. Have you truly heard the Lord's calling? Could I possibly get your autograph? Please? If I could get one, I know my wife and mother would be overjoyed!""Uh… Haggis, it's nice to meet you too."Slightly bewildered by the outburst, Milo paused for a moment before responding. "I believe… I can certainly fulfill your request for an autograph. As for divine revelations, that's something every devout believer can hope to experience. Me, you, Mr. McGoodrick, all of God's flock have that potential.""Really? Thank you so much! I had some doubts before, but hearing you say that, I'm convinced you truly are blessed!" Duval exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement.Milo could only smile. During a phone call with his grandfather, he'd been instructed on how to handle such conversations. Whenever someone brought up the topic, he simply had to maintain this particular stance:Whether or not he had heard the Lord's calling was irrelevant. The important thing was that everyone had the opportunity to hear it, provided they were devout enough.What? You say you haven't heard it?Then you must not be devout enough!What? You say you have heard it?Then what did the Lord say? Could you write a novel like The Da Vinci Code?No? Well, then screw you! How dare you profane the sanctity of the gospel?!In any case, very few people could get Bishop Benjamin Butcher and a group of Evangelical leaders to endorse them the way Milo had, especially after this whole situation."Enough, Haggis! Don't forget what you promised me!" Eddie said, a headache beginning to form as he watched Duval continue his enthusiastic rambling."Oh… right, sorry."Duval finally remembered his professional obligations, though he still repeatedly reminded Milo to give him an autograph after the interview."My apologies, Milo," Eddie said, offering a preemptive apology for his assistant's behavior."It's quite alright. It's understandable," Milo replied with an understanding smile.Ever since Benjamin Butcher declared that Milo was divinely inspired, many people had reacted similarly to Haggis when meeting him."Hey, did you hear that, Eddie? Milo doesn't mind at all," Duval chirped."Alright, that's enough, Haggis. One more word and I'm sending you out," Eddie warned, giving him a stern look. Once Haggis quieted down, he turned his attention back to Milo."Shall we begin our interview, Mr. Blackburn?""Of course. Please, come this way."The three of them found a relatively quiet spot on the set to sit down."Everyone knows you only started writing this past July. What inspired you to create such compelling work?"Milo smiled, reciting the carefully prepared answer. "Well, I wasn't exactly a model child growing up…"Why was it that so many reporters, hosts, and experts couldn't get an interview with Milo, while Eddie McGoodrick of The New York Times had succeeded?Because Eddie was "one of them."The Blackburn family's strategists had meticulously planned everything, from the questions Eddie would ask to the answers Milo would give.The interview proceeded smoothly, and everyone was satisfied.Milo's schedule became increasingly hectic due to the continued public attention. He had to balance filming with fending off persistent reporters and preventing unauthorized photographs—thankfully, most of the scenes were filmed on indoor sets.Despite the pressure, he wasn't overly concerned.He'd chosen to become a public figure, a prominent force within his family, and that naturally came with its own set of challenges.Fortunately, there were some positive developments. Perhaps spurred by Milo's success, Tommy Lee Jones and the other actors suddenly became more focused, significantly speeding up the filming schedule.He also received numerous calls from Joseph, Robin, his grandfather, and some old friends.Even more surprisingly, Haley began contacting him more frequently.His sister-in-law asked him if he had truly heard the Lord's calling.With Haley, Milo didn't use the response his grandfather had coached him on.He told her he'd dreamt of Paladin.In the dream, Paladin had spoken to him, urging him to take good care of Haley. He also told him to write novels and make movies.Furthermore, whether it was because they genuinely believed he was divinely inspired or because his fame was rapidly growing, making him appear to have a bright future, both Zeta-Jones and Monica, who had already finished filming her scenes, became even more devoted to him.On this particular day, Monica couldn't resist sneaking over.While Zeta-Jones was filming indoor dialogue and science experiment scenes, and Milo had given Wally free rein to direct, Monica secretly pulled Milo into his trailer for a midday rendezvous.After all, Milo had spent the previous night at Zeta-Jones's hilltop mansion.And so, in the middle of the afternoon, Milo's trailer began to rock.It rocked for over an hour.Finally, after the storm had subsided, Milo, recovering his breath, pulled the woman in his arms closer.He tenderly kissed the nape of her neck, his hands gently caressing her perfect body."Milo…"Monica murmured, her eyes closed, savoring his touch.She grasped the hand resting on her hip, turned her head, and kissed Milo deeply.The kiss was brief, but Monica's brown eyes were filled with tenderness and affection."Do you like my surprise?" she purred, a note of satisfaction in her voice. "Your other girlfriend is filming less than a hundred feet away.""I do," Milo replied, kissing her smooth shoulder. "You're my girlfriend too. My dear Monica, I was planning to stay with you tonight anyway.""I couldn't wait," Monica playfully retorted, tracing circles on his chest with her finger. "I find that I simply can't be without you now."She had been bored at home, watching television.But every channel she turned to, aside from some dramas, movies, and cartoons, seemed to be discussing Milo Blackburn.The thought of his meteoric rise to fame, the knowledge that he was her man, sent a wave of desire through her.She braved his potential anger, the risk of being discovered by Zeta-Jones, and boldly came to him."Me neither, Monica. You're absolutely captivating. I want you day and night~"Milo chuckled, whispering sweet, slightly suggestive words to his lover.At this stage in their relationship, it would have been strange not to."Really?""Of course."He said the same things to Zeta-Jones.