Chapter 307: Eating Melons

Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Eating Melons

By the time the banquet ended, the night was deep, and the front entrance of the Hilton Hotel was illuminated as bright as day by the flashing lights.

Just as Irene stepped out of the revolving door, she was drawn by the commotion not far away. Nicole Kidman stood at the bottom of the steps, surrounded by dozens of reporters. Microphones, recording pens, and cameras were thrust before her in a scramble, the shutter clicks snapping so loudly they almost drowned out the reporters’ persistent questions.

"Nicole, what was the reason for your divorce from Tom?" "Was the news of the divorce announced after the Oscar nominations to boost your chances for the award?" "Did Tom Cruise ever emotionally neglect you?" Sharp questions rained down like a dense downpour. Nicole lowered her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her eyelids. Her face was as pale as a bloodless sheet of paper, her fingertips tightly clutching the hem of her dress, and her body trembled slightly as if she were overwhelmed.

She occasionally looked up, offering a forced smile. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t manage a complete sentence. That fragile and helpless appearance instantly ignited an even stronger desire for answers among the reporters.

Irene stood not far away watching for a moment before turning to get into her long-awaited car.

She could imagine that tomorrow’s entertainment headlines would again be dominated by Nicole’s "haggard appearance." This carefully planned "tragic drama" was proceeding step by step according to plan.

A full hour later, the reporters finally dispersed, satisfied with their material.

Supported by her agent, Charles Andrews, Nicole walked unsteadily toward the black sedan parked at the curb. Once inside, she finally let out a long sigh of relief, leaned back against the seat, and closed her eyes wearily.

The car drove away from the hotel, heading toward a secluded apartment at the foot of the Hollywood Hills.

Since announcing the divorce, she had moved out of the Beverly Hills mansion that symbolized their "perfect marriage" and into this small, simply decorated temporary residence.

Moving away from luxury and closer to the ordinary was precisely to shape the vulnerable image of being "hurt by marriage and healing alone," appealing to the sympathy of the judges.

"You did very well today," Charles handed over a glass of warm water, his tone satisfied. "The fragile posture was just right—pitiable without seeming too deliberate. It perfectly balanced vulnerability and strength so as not to cause public resentment."

He paused, took out a tablet, and pulled up a detailed PR schedule. "The next arrangements are confirmed: the day after tomorrow in the morning, we’re recording The Oprah Winfrey Show. This is the most important interview. Oprah’s interviews are female-centric, especially for women who are emotionally expressive and focused on family and personal growth. The program often focuses on emotions, family relationships, and mental health, which easily resonates with female viewers. Your current state is perfect for this. You must seize the opportunity."

Nicole opened her eyes and took the water glass, her fingertips still icy cold.

"During the interview, you don’t need to directly smear Tom. Don’t say how bad or manic he was to you. Learn to ’express indirectly,’" Charles continued, his tone serious. "You can talk about the ’loneliness’ in the late stages of the marriage, saying you tried hard to maintain the relationship but never got a response. You can mention the film projects you gave up for the family, hinting that Tom valued his career more and ignored your feelings. You can even casually bring up his specific beliefs to hint at your differences in values. You don’t need to say much. Just leave it at that, and let the audience and media fill in the blanks."

He swiped the screen and continued: "After The Oprah Winfrey Show, we also have an exclusive interview with People magazine, where we’ll shoot a series of photos of you healing at home to highlight your ’independent woman’ side. Additionally, we’ve arranged for you to attend a children’s charity event to show your gentleness and kindness, further beautifying your public image. After this series of operations, the sympathy points and favorability from the judges will definitely increase significantly."

Nicole took small sips of the warm water, and a bit of color gradually returned to her pale face. A flash of determination crossed her eyes.

She set down the water glass, took a deep breath, and said with long-suppressed resentment, "It’s all Tom’s fault. He owes me."

Back then, she had risen to prominence with Days of Thunder and met Tom Cruise. The two soon fell in love and married. To support Tom’s career, she had turned down several major resources over the years, to the point that she had lived under the shadow of being ’Tom Cruise’s wife’ for years after the marriage, with her personal talent being severely ignored.

The last time she failed to win the Oscar, both CAA and she attributed the reason to ’not having enough buzz.’ This time, she would definitely not miss out again.

"What he owes you, we will make him pay back twofold," Charles looked at her, his tone certain. "This Best Actress Oscar statuette will definitely be yours."

The car entered the garage below the apartment building, and Nicole walked into the elevator accompanied by Charles.

The mirror in the elevator reflected her pale but determined face. She raised her hand to tidy her hair, her gaze gradually becoming sharp.

For the Best Actress crown, she had already gambled her private life and reputation. For every step that followed, she had to walk steadily and ruthlessly.

---

Meanwhile, Irene had already returned to her own apartment.

After washing up, she lay on the sofa looking at the news photos of Nicole being mobbed by reporters popping up on her phone. On Facebook, the number one search topic at the moment was also related to #CruiseCoupleDivorce#.

Speculations about the Cruise couple’s divorce were all over the place. Naturally, the post with the most likes was the theory of a change in affection. After all, Hollywood has countless temptations, and they had been married for 12 years—a duration that is considered quite long for young Hollywood couples.

One could tell at a glance that this article was written by an industry professional, perhaps even specifically commissioned by Nicole Kidman. After all, the content seemed very authentic, the timeline was clear, and it listed Tom Cruise’s rumored flings at every stage—not calling them affairs, but leaving enough room for imagination. It also analyzed potential conflicts and disputes between the couple. Even Irene couldn’t help but nod repeatedly after reading it, and she even used a burner account to give the blogger a like.

It’s often said that American stars like to get involved personally. After Irene finished liking the post, she boredly scrolled through the like records. Good heavens, a whole string of stars had left their marks. Among those she saw, A-list stars like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio had left comments under their real names, some even directly stating the writing was good. Indeed, when men start gossiping, women don’t stand a chance.

She was being too conservative, Irene scolded herself for a second, then immediately switched back to her main account to join the gossip feast.

After gorging on gossip until three in the morning, Irene finally fell asleep contentedly, clutching her phone.