The beautiful woman asked about Martin, and immediately, Anne Hathaway became tense.
While it's not a big deal for Hollywood stars to date—sometimes even using relationships or marriage to boost their popularity—Martin was different—
He was only fourteen!
Sensing Anne's nervousness, the beautiful woman immediately became suspicious. Could this woman be stealing someone else's man?
She glanced at Martin again. Could he be a married man?
But looking at his eyes, he shouldn't be very old, right?
"Ah, he, he's my friend, a good friend. I invited him over for coffee," Anne explained.
The beautiful woman sneered inwardly.
As if everyone doesn't understand the "hidden meaning" here! Bitch!
Martin couldn't stand it anymore. Anne Hathaway was still too naive, after all, she was only eighteen, and hadn't been in the industry for long.
No, even in the future, she wouldn't be that smart.
Martin understood—this girl wasn't just pretending to be a silly big sister; she really was a "silly big sister"!
So, he spoke up: "I am Anne's boyfriend, Jeffrey Raymond. Hello, madam."
"Don't, don't call me madam. I was born in '81, and I'm only 20 this year. My name is Sofia Santi, you can call me Sofia or Sofi. Nice to meet you, Jeff."
"It's my pleasure to meet you," Martin nodded at the woman.
To be honest, this woman's looks and figure were quite to his taste.
(Author note: Sofia Santi, an actress who never became famous in the past, present, or future, would eventually enter the adult film industry a year later due to lack of opportunities, and would gain notoriety as a "Playmate of the Month" in Penthouse magazine in November. She would go on to be the runner-up for Penthouse's Playmate of the Year in 2005.
In her twenties, Sofia had very delicate and stunning features, but her beauty faded quickly, likely due to the overwork in the adult industry.
By the way, she was an extreme tattoo enthusiast, having gotten a large Japanese dragon tattoo across her back at the age of eight—yes, eight years old.)
Anne Hathaway seemed to sense the threat and gently pulled Martin's hand, saying to Sofia, "We're going inside. Let's talk another time, bye!"
Then she hurriedly pulled Martin into her apartment.
Sofia wasn't in a rush to throw out the trash. Instead, she kept watching Martin's back, her mind swirling: Why does he look so familiar? Who exactly is he?
Entering her apartment and shutting the door behind her, Anne let out a sigh of relief.
"Martin, that bitch is no good, don't get involved with her."
"Please, right now I just want to be with you. Which woman? What's her name? I've already forgotten!"
"Haha, hahaha!" Anne laughed. This girl was so love-struck and a little materialistic, very easy to please.
In Martin's memory, this girl would eventually be scammed by a conman boyfriend—Farrier—who would drain her savings, get her to attract investments for him, and alienate many of her connections in the industry.
What was worse, Farrier, after being released from prison, would go around telling the media how much money he spent on Anne Hathaway and what sacrifices he made for her, only to be heartlessly dumped by Anne, casting himself as a victim.
But in reality, the money he spent on Anne Hathaway was actually her own money, invested by her, and he used her connections to roll in even more money.
During the four years of their relationship, the silly girl never realized he was a conman, until Farrier was arrested, and she discovered she had been duped.
Sofia Santi threw out the trash and returned to her apartment.
On the TV, a clip of Martin receiving the "Honorary Citizen of New York" award was being replayed.
Sofia glanced at the TV and was about to pour herself a drink when she suddenly froze and quickly turned her head back to focus on the screen.
She widened her eyes in shock and rushed to the TV.
At that moment, the TV showed a close-up of Martin's face. Sofia Santi quickly covered the lower half of Martin's face on the screen, leaving only his eyes exposed...
"What the fuck! Martin! That bitch Anne Hathaway brought home Martin!"
"How could this happen? How is that bitch so lucky? Not only does she get the lead role in a movie, but she also knows a big shot like Martin, and he's so handsome too!"
"Why? Why?! Why do I only meet those fat pigs with big bellies or those old, useless losers who are nobody in the industry? Even sleeping with them doesn't get me anywhere!"
"Damn, damn, why does that bitch have such good luck? I'm not any worse looking than her, and my body is even better! Damn, damn!"
Jealousy, like a poisonous snake, consumed Sofia Santi's rationality...
The beautiful woman glared with red eyes, grabbed her phone from the table.
"Hello, is this the World News? I have a bombshell story. Martin is with some actress..."
"No, no, I'm not joking. I guarantee it's true..."
"What, you want the address and the actress's name?"
"Hey, this isn't free. How much can you offer me? Five hundred bucks?"
"That's not enough. I'll give the address to other media."
"A thousand dollars?"
"Still too little. Five thousand, an exclusive story!"
"Don't worry, I won't lie to you."
Fifteen minutes later.
At the entrance of a small park near her apartment.
A black Volkswagen car slowly stopped, and Sofia Santi emerged from the shadows, walking to the car.
The car door opened, and a young white man stepped out. Upon seeing Sofia Santi, he whistled.
"Are you an actress? A model?"
Sofia Santi didn't answer his question but directly asked, "Where's the money?"
Someone inside the car handed her a paper bag.
The young man took it without looking and handed it to Sofia. "Here's three thousand bucks. Count it in the car. The rest will be given once the story is confirmed."
Sofia took the paper bag, casually got into the car, and glanced around.
There were three other people in the car besides the driver. They all seemed quite capable.
She didn't care much, opened the bag, and started counting the money in the dim light outside the car window.
"Okay, you guys are trustworthy. Let's go."