Overwhelmed

When did all this begin?

After the success of "Scent of a Woman", the box office miracle of "A Few Good Men", or perhaps after the start of "Schindler's List" last March... Who was the mastermind behind the scenes? It was obviously Tracey Jacobs, and Ron Meyer was probably involved as well.

After the audition opportunity for "The Firm" appeared, Tracey and Ron happened to have frequent contact with Sydney for the "Schindler's List" project. The producer of "The Fugitive", Arnold, had just ended his collaboration with Ron's top actor, Michael Douglas... Was all of this just a coincidence? Obviously not.

To speculate further, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that on New Year's Eve, Brad Pitt's agent, Martin Baum, and Tracey, both separately had conversations with Uma. Uma decided to stay behind. Later, Uma took Hugo to Malibu for a three-week vacation, completely isolated from the world. It shouldn't be forgotten that Michelle Pfeiffer mentioned Uma's audition at the Golden Globe Awards, but Uma evaded the question and didn't tell Hugo the truth. Now, Uma was getting closer to the leading role in "The Firm"...

Hugo couldn't think any further. If he continued to dwell on these thoughts, he felt like he would drown in his own speculation and be trapped in an inescapable situation.

Hugo looked at the newspaper, trying to calm himself down. He kept telling himself to stay calm, but it seemed too difficult. He took a deep breath and another one, but his chest still felt tight, as if he couldn't breathe properly. Hugo told himself that all of this was just his own speculation. Not to mention whether Tracey and Ron were the masterminds behind it all or if it was all just a huge coincidence, at least Hugo didn't want to draw conclusions based on speculation about Uma. Uma should have a chance to explain, and he had the right to know the truth. Maybe Uma had nothing to do with all of this.

Looking back now, on the day after the Golden Globe Awards, Hugo chose to confront Anthony directly, although he was late for the audition for "The Fugitive". This only added credible evidence to the so-called being a diva. However, Hugo's behavior at the press conference ruined the entire plan and completely changed the situation.

Although there were various discussions about the big star mystery, the media had different opinions, and public opinion was not entirely one-sided. There were even many favorable comments about Hugo. Moreover, within the industry, everyone had their own exclusive channels, which helped preserve Hugo's innocence to some extent. It could be imagined that as long as Hugo survived this bombardment and people realized that all of this was just the media's hype, his positive image would gradually be restored.

However, Hugo didn't have time to rejoice in his initial bravery. He didn't have time to worry about what might happen in the future. He just wanted to know whether Uma becoming the backup for the female lead in "The Firm" was a conspiracy or if Uma, fully aware of the situation, still chose the opportunity in "The Firm", or if it was just a coincidence.

Hugo hoped it was a coincidence, even if he was deceiving himself.

"Hugo..." Joseph looked at Hugo's hard-won smile, but in an instant, the color drained from his face, leaving it pale. This made Joseph uneasy, reminding him of Hugo's pain when he broke up with the nurse and the wretched state he was in during withdrawal from drugs.

Not only Joseph but Charlize and Karl also fell silent. Even the usually cheerful Alex became quiet. Everyone looked at Hugo with deep concern, but they didn't dare to show it too obviously, fearing that their expression alone would become the last straw that breaks Hugo.

Hugo slowly raised his head and revealed a smile. Yes, he smiled. "I'm fine, don't worry. It's just an audition, after all. I'm happy for Uma, really. I'm fine," he said, suppressing the smile at the corner of his mouth that he didn't know what feeling it represented. "Oh, I... I need to rest for a bit. Yes, I want to sit down and rest, you know, I didn't sleep well last night." Then Hugo took a deep breath and calmly turned towards the lobby, quietly sat down on the sofa, and sat there quietly, watching the replay of an NBA game on the TV screen.

Hugo was unnaturally calm, so calm that it was unbelievable. This was contrary to everyone's expectations, but instead, it fueled the growing anxiety in everyone's hearts like wild grass.

Everyone could see Hugo's trust in Uma. Whether it was Joseph questioning Uma's conversation with Martin on New Year's Eve, or Anthony throwing dirt on Uma during the celebration banquet, Hugo stood firmly on Uma's side without hesitation. And afterward, Hugo never once doubted Uma, trusting her so much, as if he treated this relationship the same way.

From the initial caution to being moved by Uma, Hugo gradually approached her step by step. Seeing Hugo's cautious steps towards Uma, one could understand how hard-won this trust was. But now, everything might be destroyed. One could imagine how severe and terrifying the blow to Hugo would be.

Joseph and the others stood by the dining table, looking at each other, unsure of what to do. If Hugo vented his anger, they could do their best to comfort him, but now, Hugo just sat there quietly as if nothing had happened. This abnormal silence was so frightening.

"We shouldn't have said anything," Karl picked up a pen, writing on the paper in frustration.

Charlize shook her head and also wrote on the paper, "He'll find out sooner or later." Then Charlize glanced at Joseph, in fact, Charlize had never gotten along well with Uma, but she didn't say much, primarily because she didn't want to ruin her friendship with Hugo. She wasn't even sure if she had let her personal emotions get involved. However, Joseph had always been aware of Charlize's suspicions about Uma, but he never expected it to erupt in this way at this moment.

Joseph understood Charlize's gaze. He regretted showing Hugo the San Francisco Chronicle today, but now Joseph knew that what needed to be faced would eventually have to be faced.

In this big star mystery incident, Joseph had contacted more media outlets in this one week than in the past year combined. While he was busy dealing with the event, it unexpectedly expanded his network of contacts. After all, the perspectives of people in the industry were different, and many could see that this time, there was a deliberate targeting of Hugo. If someone wanted to target Hugo, naturally, there would be people who supported him. That's the reality of the media. Only by seizing different perspectives could one stand out from the countless media competitions, so many people were willing to extend a helping hand.

This incident had become an opportunity for Joseph's growth. Similarly, Hugo could only solve the problem by facing it head-on. Avoidance was always the worst option.

Looking at Hugo sitting quietly on the sofa, he appeared as if nothing had happened. But Joseph knew that if it were the usual Hugo, he would be lazily lying on the sofa, with his right foot resting on the coffee table, not in a proper posture, let alone sitting upright. But at this moment, Hugo stubbornly straightened his back, sitting with proper posture. The strong line of his back seemed to reveal Hugo's last bit of strength.

The front door was opened, and everyone turned their heads to look. The only person who had the third-floor key and was not present at the scene was Uma.

Sure enough, Uma rushed in disheveled, hastily closed the door, wearing a hat and sunglasses, with a checkered scarf draped around her neck. As she removed her disguise, she exclaimed, "Phew, the reporters at the door are really troublesome. Fortunately, my disguise was sufficient." From Uma's cheerful tone, one could tell she was in a good mood. "Hey, everyone's here. Good morning." Uma entered the hall and immediately noticed everyone, greeting them happily.

Hugo stood up directly, smiling and performing a superficial greeting with Uma, as if nothing had happened. He said, "Why did you come over this morning? Didn't I tell you that reporters have been lurking around here? You shouldn't have come."

"But it's been a week since I last saw you. I missed you," Uma said with a smile, holding up the plastic bags she had in her hands. "And I brought some food for you guys. I'm sure you're tired of ordering takeout every day." Uma walked towards the dining room, ready to put the things in the refrigerator.

The four people standing in the dining room looked at each other. They didn't know what was going on with Hugo, so they didn't know how to react. It was Charlize who was the most sensitive. She also imitated Hugo's behavior and tried to speak in her most normal tone, saying, "Alex, didn't you ask me to rehearse with you just now? Let's go, it's almost lunchtime if we keep playing." Then, just like usual, she nodded briefly and greeted Uma, then pulled a visibly irritated Alex towards his room.

Alex was not good at concealing his emotions, and it was clear that he couldn't put on a good face for Uma.

Joseph and Karl also caught on. Joseph cleared his throat and said, "Um... what did you buy? We were planning to order lunch..."

"Pizza!" Karl reminded.

"Oh, right, pizza," Joseph quickly added.

"Basic dishes. I know you guys rarely cook at home," Uma said as she placed the plastic bags on the dining table and started unpacking the items.

Joseph saw the San Francisco Chronicle on the dining table and quickly pulled Karl aside. "Phew, that's a relief. By the way, Karl, Charlize said she needs help moving her wardrobe. Can you lend a hand?" They both quickly disappeared towards Charlize's room on the left side of the dining room.

Uma, of course, noticed that something was amiss, but she thought everyone was giving her and Hugo some space, so she didn't think much of it. "Hehe, the seafood at the supermarket looked really good today, so I bought some..." After Uma finished unpacking the items, she saw the newspaper on the table and absentmindedly picked it up. Her gaze fell on the headline of the San Francisco Chronicle, causing the seafood in her hands to drop, and she stood there stunned.

At this moment, Hugo also walked towards the dining room, still smiling. "What seafood? Complicated dishes are too troublesome to make." He then walked up to Uma, ready to lend a hand.

"Hugo..." Uma looked at the newspaper in her hand, then looked at Hugo, who appeared completely normal. She didn't know how to react. Did Hugo see the news or not? If he saw it, why didn't he react? If he didn't see it, then why was the newspaper placed here? This unknown feeling caused Uma's growing uneasiness, to the point where she didn't know what to do besides calling Hugo's name.