Chapter 122: The Unexpected

[Chapter 122: The Unexpected]

In a built-up area on the outskirts of Los Angeles, an advertising crew was busy at work.

At this time, Nicole Kidman was already famous, but her career in film was not going as smoothly as she had hoped. It wasn't until after her divorce that she truly found her stride in Hollywood. Regardless, as Tom Cruise's wife, she remained a high-profile figure.

At that moment, she was in a makeshift dressing room, staring into the mirror.

Behind her stood a man in a black suit, smiling. "Just a friendly piece of advice, Mrs. Cruise. You know some people are not to be trifled with."

With that, he gave a slight bow and exited the dressing room.

Nicole's expression darkened.

Her assistant quickly entered, gently asking her, "What did he say, Nicole?"

Nicole took a deep breath. "It's nothing. Have the makeup artist come in."

She didn't believe he could do anything to her.

After all, she was Nicole Kidman!

...

Moments later, the glamorous Nicole Kidman emerged from the dressing room, ready to begin her advertising shoot.

This was for a Sony electronics ad.

Big brand commercials tend to be extravagant, with production costs ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions.

To showcase Sony's impressive sound and visual effects, the crew designed a massive movable set that could rotate continuously, allowing the actors to walk within it as if weightless. Eventually, the set would be removed, presenting an effect of flying among the clouds.

At this moment, Nicole Kidman hung from a wire, moving through the air as directed while the house was upside down, making it seem like she was walking on the ceiling, with cars driving below her, creating an inverted world.

Perhaps because Nicole had something on her mind, several takes missed the mark.

The director had to keep calling cut.

Nicole tried to rein in her emotions. When she glanced back, she noticed the man in black standing in the corner, still smiling at her.

This made her increasingly anxious.

...

Nicole asked, "Who is that guy?"

The director hesitated, followed her gaze, and chuckled, "Just a regular crew member. What's wrong?"

Nicole shook her head. "Nothing."

Not wanting to dwell on it, she took a short break and returned to filming.

...

As the house rotated again, Nicole assumed an upside-down position. Just as she focused on performing, the movable set suddenly jolted and began plummeting toward the ground.

"Ah!" Nicole screamed in terror.

As she watched herself fall, the impact jolted her into a stop mid-air, with her head just half a meter from the ground.

The director gasped. "Get her down! What just happened? Damn it!"

Nicole's face went pale from fear.

Fortunately, a crowd gathered to help lower her safely. Among them was the man in black.

He supported Nicole and whispered in her ear, "Just a little warning."

Nicole was horrified.

Were they behind this?

In that moment, she understood that today's incident was her husband's warning.

If she didn't comply, the next time might not be just a scare.

With everyone's assistance, Nicole was finally set down safely.

...

As they moved away, the director was still raging, "What the hell happened?"

The man in black smiled as he stepped back.

His task was done; he could exit the scene.

Just as he was retreating, a loud crash echoed above.

The man looked up in shock to see the movable set, which had just been raised, spiraling down, with chains spinning wildly, before crashing down entirely.

He gasped, "Oh! No!"

Crash!

The massive shipping container-like set slammed down onto him, turning him into a pulp.

...

Not far from the film set, Ian watched the scene coldly, a smile creeping onto his lips.

He turned and walked away, peeling off the fake mustache he had been wearing to reveal his true identity.

Once back in his car, he drove to a distant building and entered a room.

Inside, a camera pointed directly at the film set.

Ian reviewed the footage with satisfaction.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

...

After a moment, a female voice answered, "Who is this?"

"I need to speak with Ms. Nicole Kidman."

"She's occupied at the moment."

"I don't think they'll continue filming after someone just died on set."

The other end went silent for a moment.

...

Finally, Nicole Kidman's voice came through, "Who are you?"

"Ian Carr."

Nicole was taken aback. "You?"

Ian replied with a chuckle, "If you want to understand what just happened today, come to the Benny Building, 12th floor, room 3. It's only about five hundred meters away. I trust I don't need to remind you to keep this quiet?"

With that, he hung up the phone.

...

Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Ian walked over to open it and saw Nicole, looking pale, standing outside.

After all, she had just encountered an accident, and then someone had died in front of her and then received a call from Ian Carr...

Everything felt like a massive conspiracy laced with endless mysteries.

Her bright eyes looked at Ian as she murmured, "It really is you, Ian Carr."

Ian smiled. "You're late; it seems you hesitate a bit."

He motioned for Nicole to enter the room and closed the door behind her.

Nicole seemed visibly tense.

She noticed the camera by the window pointing at the film set.

"Did you set this up?" she exclaimed in shock.

Ian shook his head, "No, but I definitely knew about it. Here, listen to this."

...

Ian approached the table and played a segment of audio.

The familiar conversation left Nicole stunned.

After a long moment, she finally recovered and asked, "You were eavesdropping on them? You knew this would happen today? You didn't plan to warn me?"

Ian shrugged, "Well, they had no intention of killing you."

Nicole pointed to the window, incredulous. "Then why did the set fall?"

Ian smiled slightly. "Clearly, they just didn't execute it properly."

He waved his hand, "Alright, Ms. Kidman, I suppose you don't want me calling you Mrs. Cruise. While your husband didn't intend to kill you, he certainly subjected you to a terrifying experience, even using death threats... I mean, now only I can help you."

"No!" Nicole exclaimed passionately, "I won't give in to you!"

Even she wasn't naive enough to misunderstand Ian's intent.

She was genuinely scared now, breathless, "Those guys would do anything."

Ian shook his head gently, "With me around, you don't have to worry. I will protect you and even help you deal with those threatening you."

Nicole listened to his words with a dazed expression.

Suddenly, she realized something, staring at Ian, "That fall wasn't an accident, was it?"

Ian smiled.

He walked over and casually wrapped his arm around Nicole's waist. "That depends on which answer you want."

*****

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