King of Hollywood

The kiss this time lasted much longer than before, as if Kate wanted to pour out all the longing from these past months, her little tongue never stopping. Adrian was naturally happy to oblige, and the two of them stood in the hall's open space, kissing each other shamelessly. Although some people curiously glanced at them, they quickly moved on, as kissing couples were not uncommon in airport halls.

After a long while, they reluctantly separated. Kate held Adrian's face, gazing into his eyes for a moment before speaking, "Do you know how much I've missed you, Ed?"

"I know, of course I know, I could tell from the phone calls." Adrian smiled, stroking her cheek.

"I've never missed someone so much, Ed, you bastard." Despite Kate's gritted teeth look, her hand on Adrian's shoulder squeezing hard, her beautiful eyes curved, as if she still wanted to continue the passionate kiss.

Luckily, a voice came from the side at this moment, "Ma'am, is this your luggage?"

It was a big Black man in a police uniform standing by Kate's unattended suitcase.

"Ah?! It is mine, I'm really sorry," Kate quickly let go of Adrian's shoulder, jogging over and retrieving the suitcase with an embarrassed smile from the policeman.

"Thank you, Officer, my girlfriend's just a little excited," Adrian said to the policeman as he caught up.

"No problem, just be careful next time." The policeman waved it off, not minding.

Pulling up the handle on Kate's suitcase, Adrian linked her arm and walked out. Kate said nothing, just leaned affectionately against him, as they went outside and got in the car to leave.

On the way to Beverly Hills, Kate curiously observed the street scenes outside while chattering with Adrian about recent events, the different reactions from her family and school caused by her appearance in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." Essentially, the current Kate Beckinsale was still a young girl full of curiosity.

"They keep asking me all day how I got involved and why my part was so small."

"I keep telling them I just stumbled into it, but they never believe me."

"That check you sent really shocked mom, especially since I can only be considered a cameo."

Adrian listened with a smile, sometimes replying with a word or two.

"If they don't believe it, just let it go, or treat them like entertainment reporters, making up a couple of sentences to brush them off."

"Don't say you can't do that or something, are you going to say you can't when you face real entertainment reporters in the future?"

"I can imagine what Ms. Judy's expression would be like, she didn't skimp on interrogating me over the phone."

Amidst the laughter and conversation, the car slowly drove into Adrian's villa, and Kate was soon captivated by the American hybrid-style architecture and the beautiful plants in the front yard.

"This is... the 'little villa' you mentioned?" Kate asked with an uncertain tone.

"What's wrong?" Adrian stopped the car and opened the door for her, "Is there a problem?"

"If... if this is considered a small villa, then does that make my home a slum?" There was an indescribable tone in Kate's voice.

"Come on, Kate, do you really want to dwell on this?" Adrian held her hand, looking at her seriously.

Kate pouted, "No, I just… I can't really say, it's just…"

She made a few gestures but couldn't say anything more. Adrian laughed, pulling her into a hug, "Alright, alright, it's my fault. I should have told you, besides being the owner of a small film company, I'm also quite wealthy."

The arms around his waist tightened, and Kate looked up with an embarrassed expression, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Adrian smiled, then took out her luggage, "Let's go inside."

Mrs. Galen was already waiting at the door, took the luggage after Adrian introduced her, and shook hands with Kate.

"You're really beautiful, Kate, you know, you're the first girl Ed has brought home." Mrs. Galen eyed Kate with a mischievous smile, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

"Really?" Kate seemed a little surprised.

"Of course, I've been working here for almost seven years, you could say I've watched Ed grow up." Mrs. Galen nodded seriously, her eyes darting between Kate and Adrian.

"Ms. Galen!" Adrian rolled his eyes and called out in mock annoyance.

"Alright, I won't say anymore." Mrs. Galen waved her hand with a smile, then leaned towards Kate and said in a small voice loud enough for Adrian to hear, "Usually, I call him Mr. Adrian and he calls me Mrs. Galen. If he calls me by my first name, it means I've hit a sore spot."

Kate couldn't help but laugh softly, while Adrian rolled his eyes again, taking Kate's arm and leading her inside.

"I like Mrs. Galen," said Kate, giggling as they followed inside to the living room and sat down.

"Me too, just if she didn't love talking so much," Adrian sighed.

"Hey, Ed, have you really never brought a girlfriend home before?" Kate blinked and changed the subject.

"I think I told you before, for a long time, I was just fooling around, until..." Adrian gestured without finishing, Kate nodded, "Yes, I know."

"I never considered having a girlfriend, at least not before producing a film in London." Adrian gazed into Kate's eyes, "I didn't expect to meet such a special girl, with a bit of flamboyance, some stubbornness, some vivacity, and some cuteness."

Sweet talk always worked wonders, and Kate couldn't help blushing as she turned away her head. However, Adrian suddenly changed the tone, "Of course, she's also a bit wanton, especially in bed..."

"Ed!" Kate's shout exploded, her face flushed as she swung her fists as if seeking justice, but Adrian bent over, laughing and hoisted her up.

"I'll show you around, sweetheart." Adrian carried her out of the living room, pretending he didn't hear her cries of "Put me down." Mrs. Galen, although she heard, just shrugged and went about her business.

Overall, it was a pleasant afternoon. Although Kate had just gotten off the plane and hadn't adjusted to the time difference, the joy of seeing her lover made her forget her fatigue. God knew how much she missed him, that in just over a month she had to call every other day, and every time she thought of Adrian on the American continent, she couldn't help but want to fly over immediately. When her sister Samantha even teased her for being love-struck to the point of having the intelligence of a child, she just kept giggling foolishly.

It seemed she was proven right when, guided by Adrian, they toured the entire villa, walked and chatted in the garden, and played indoor tennis in the gym. Adrian also took her to the music room to play a piece of Richard Clayderman's "Ballade pour Adeline" for her—though technically modest, the heartfelt performance was evident—and finally to the drawing room, where he sketched a simple portrait of her.

Although Kate knew Adrian was incredibly talented, she didn't expect him to be this exceptional, overwhelmed with tender affection. She didn't know, for Adrian before the '90s, these were essential skills.

But assuming this was all would be impossible. After dinner, when Mrs. Galen left, Adrian pulled Kate into the living room, dimmed the lights, played soft classical music, and bowed to her gentlemanly.

"May I have this dance, lovely lady?" Adrian asked with a smile, looking very charming in the dim light.

"I... I'm not very good at dancing..." Kate stammered, yet her hand subconsciously reached for his.

"It's okay, I can teach you." Adrian pulled her directly into his arms and started to dance.

Initially, Kate was a bit clumsy, occasionally stepping on Adrian's feet, but under Adrian's patient guidance, she slowly got into rhythm. But soon, unwilling to follow the rules, Adrian switched to a waltz. His waltz dancing wasn't that great, and Kate knew nothing of it, resulting in random spins amidst giggles.

And then, clothes were tossed to the ground one by one, and with the end of the waltz, the two of them, already naked, collapsed to the floor, starting an alternative dance with another waltz playing.

After the weekend ended, Adrian drove Kate back to the small-town set. Although they had been inseparable over the past days, Adrian showed no mercy once filming began.

"Cut! Do I need to repeat myself, Kate?" shouted Adrian, lifting his head with some annoyance, handing the camera to Bowen as he strode over to Kate.

"I told you, you're playing a twenty-something barmaid, with a boyfriend involved in drug dealing. Now your boyfriend has disappeared, but his clothes and car are in the hands of this man before you. Your expression shouldn't be friendly. But at the same time, you want to know what happened to your boyfriend, so there should be some hesitation. Don't tell me you can't understand hesitation!" Adrian's words were heavy; after all, the number of takes was nearing a new high, which shouldn't be occurring now.

"I'm sorry." Kate's expression was a bit grim too, but she kept her head down and didn't say much more.

Adrian sighed, carefully observing Kate, then beckoned the makeup artist over, "I need her eye bags to look deeper, more tired, like she hasn't slept well in days. Also, deepen the cheeks, and if necessary, use some silicone to make her face look more angular."

Watching Kate and the makeup artist walk away, Adrian sighed again. Then Dennis came over, "Maybe I can help, you know, Ed, I used to work in a café before..."